Anyone who has experienced the power of addiction knows how deeply it impacts every area of life. Addiction destroys the quality of life for everyone within its grasp. From personal relationships to job security to finances and health, substance abuse leaves its mark everywhere.
And the influence of addiction reaches far beyond the person experiencing it. Family members and friends and coworkers also feel the impact in their own lives as a loved one falls further and further into a life of substance abuse.
If you are worried about how addiction affects your quality of life or that of someone you love, reach out to Fair Park Counseling today. Our highly-trained Counselors in Tupelo, MS are here to get you started on the road to recovery. You will be ready to regain your health and move away from a life of substance abuse and into a life of healing.
Let’s Look At The Full Impact of Addiction and 4 Ways Addiction Affects Quality Of Life
As those struggling with substance abuse move deeper into addiction, the damage it creates grows more and more extensive. Eventually, addiction takes its toll on every facet of a person’s quality of life.
Physical Deterioration
The first and most apparent blow that addiction throws at an addict is at their physical well-being. Those battling substance abuse may experience difficulty with sleeping, significant changes in their appetite, and even heart problems. And long-term addiction can lead to cancer, lung disease, liver disease, and problems with mental health.
Organs often begin to shut down after prolonged exposure to drugs and alcohol. The heart can weaken, and high blood pressure often develops. As the brain takes damage, the person suffering may begin to experience forgetfulness and confusion. Eventually, the abuse may lead to delusions and paranoia.
Even in less extreme cases, addiction takes a clear physical toll. Consistent use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs can prematurely age a person’s skin. It changes their coloring and reduces the elasticity in the skin, making wrinkles more prominent. A person’s teeth and breath also change for the worse when they are living with addiction.
Professional Displacement
To those watching a loved one struggle with substance abuse, it comes as no surprise when the person’s job is in trouble. The physical changes, such as sleep disruption and forgetfulness, are bound to impact someone’s ability to do their work accurately and professionally.
Forgetting meetings or appointments because their brain is foggy from all the damage will create a bad work situation. Showing up late or not at all can quickly put someone’s employment in jeopardy.
And when someone loses a job due to their addiction-fueled behaviors, the problems spiral from there. It is difficult to find new employment when someone cannot obtain a good recommendation from the job they left.
It’s important to note that if you choose to seek treatment, your job has protection under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Employers do not have to keep the position of someone whose performance suffers due to their substance abuse. But employees who seek approved treatment for an addiction disorder have protection. The team at Fair Park Counseling can work with you to secure a referral to a high-quality program.
Financial Hardship
Surprising no one, addiction, and substance abuse take a tremendous financial toll on individuals, families, and society as a whole. A person’s economic quality of life begins to suffer immediately when addiction sets in.
There is the obvious cost of supporting the habit by purchasing drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol. But it doesn’t stop there. As addiction escalates, so does the financial burden.
If someone’s substance abuse costs them their job, the money situation could get dangerous very quickly. Without steady income, the ability to provide basic food and shelter for yourself and your family disappears. A person experiencing a costly substance abuse disorder may not have the money to seek medical help when necessary, putting their physical well-being at considerable risk.
Some who live with addiction will spiral so far that they become involved in crime to keep their habit going. This choice will bring about legal fees that add to the financial burden. The fiscal consequences of addiction disorders are staggering.
Social and Emotional Isolation
The physical, professional, and financial losses to a person’s quality of life all feed the biggest loss of all. The destruction of a person’s social and emotional well-being due to an addiction disorder is devastating.
A sense of connectedness and community is vital to good physical and mental health. But addiction holds power to isolate and separate those who are living with it from those who are not. As a person’s substance abuse disorder takes hold and grows, their ability to stay connected to friends and loved ones diminishes.
Someone living in addiction may isolate themselves on purpose, out of a sense of guilt or shame for their behaviors. Or they may be forced into a sense of isolation when their issues cause other people to withdraw from them. And research is becoming very clear. Feelings of being isolated and alone are dangerous to a person’s emotional well-being.
Those who find themselves disconnected from their community are at significant risk of depression, medical problems, and a shortened lifespan. And when addiction disorders are at the root of their isolation, people are in even greater danger.
This risk is why it is so critical for families of those who live with an addiction to seek help for themselves. Outpatient therapy can serve both the individual who is struggling with substance abuse and their family. Highly-qualified counselors can help friends and family members set boundaries to protect themselves while still supporting their loved one appropriately.
Choose the Right Team
All areas of a person’s quality of life take damage when addiction enters the picture. The personal, professional, financial, and emotional impacts are intertwined and connected. When someone reaches out to the counselors at Fair Park Counseling, we seek to support the whole person through their recovery process.
Our excellent staff is ready to serve you and walk with you as you work toward wellness. We provide referrals for reputable rehabilitation centers, and we offer the best in outpatient therapy as well. Give us a call today to start your journey.
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